The present invention relates generally to automatic transmissions, and more particularly to apparatus for recognizing a selected gear range of an automatic transmission.
A typical automatic transmission includes a shift gate on which a plurality of gear ranges are indicated with letters, such as P, N, R, D, S, and L, and a select lever operable or movable in a groove of the shift gate for selecting the gear ranges, such as a P range for parking, an N range for stop etc., a D range for normal driving, and an L range for engine braking etc. A Published Japanese Patent Application No. H10(1998)-329568 (hereinafter referred to as “JP10-329568”) shows a device for recognizing each selected gear range of an automatic transmission in accordance with a range signal from an inhibitor switch for outputting a single signal for each gear range. On the other hand, a Published Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-294134 (hereinafter referred to as “JP2003-294134”) shows a device for an automatic transmission which includes an inhibitor switch including a plurality of contacts for each gear range, and a controller configured to recognize each selected gear range in accordance with a combination of the range signals of the plurality of contacts.